^That's really reaching. There are plenty of prior sources that use that translation, such as the title of a P.G. Wodehouse story. When I Google for the phrase, I find nearly 800,000 hits, most of which have nothing to do with B5.

As a rule, if you see two recent works both using the same reference, it is far more likely that they're both drawing on a prior source than that one is referencing the other. Creativity is a branching process, spreading ever more outward. There are so many different creative works in modern times that the odds of any given two having direct, intentional links to one another are small, but they all draw on previous works, so the odds that they share a common link to something earlier are much greater.

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Thanks. I see the logic; it was just me being over-eager I suppose. I also didn't realize the translation was so common (evidently my google-fu is weak). I just couldn't help but wonder...

Plus it's hard for me to keep in mind just how expansive popular culture is now compared to its literary roots; the scale can be difficult to wrap my mind around, so like most people I suppose I tend to constrict it and play in a bathtub rather than confront the ocean...

Still on Harbinger (about two-thirds through), a quick note: There's a nod to Doctor Who in chapter 2, when Quinn uses a sonic screwdriver. Bam, that took me right out of the story - parodistic elements in a serious tale really hurt suspension of disbelief, IMHO. I actually had to stop for a minute and convince myself that maybe, maybe a sonic screwdriver is a valid item of Trek technology.

Other than that admittedly minor quibble, I'm quite intrigued so far, though. There's no doubt I'll move past book one into the rest of the series.

Actually there was a canonical reference to a device called a "sonic driver" in TNG: "The Naked Now."

And really, is it any worse than the references to a "flux capacitor" in "Hollow Pursuits" and "What You Leave Behind"? Or the gajillion Buckaroo Banzai and Dirty Pair references hidden in Okudagrams and technobabble over the years?

It's not - my reaction tends to be the same whenever I catch a reference (in fact this is the second time Mr. Mack got out the old 'driver - he did it in Wildfire as well). A Doctor Who reference collides with a fresher imprint though, considering it's actively airing and popular. It's perhaps a bit easier to pass over a nostalgic reference after all.

Who knows, perhaps the truth is this: Back in the 21st century a Starfleet engineer particularly well-versed in human entertainment of yesteryear decided to nick-name a favorite tool sonic screwdriver in reference, and the name just kind of stuck.

Yeah, I agree the pop-culture references can be distracting. The "flux capacitor" references particularly bug me, because it's a term that makes no sense. Flux means flow, while a capacitor is a device that stores an unmoving charge. So it's an oxymoron.

At least for the "sonic driver" or screwdriver, there's some legitimate scientific basis for the idea. So it can kind of work as a credible term for a device in a different fictional universe than the one where it originated.

Oh, and the cross-references go the other way too sometimes. The term "cloaking device," which originated in Star Trek, was used for the TARDIS's chameleon circuit in the 1996 Doctor Who TV movie (by the Doctor) and in the 2005 DW episode "Boom Town" (by Rose).

Yeah, I agree the pop-culture references can be distracting. The "flux capacitor" references particularly bug me, because it's a term that makes no sense. Flux means flow, while a capacitor is a device that stores an unmoving charge. So it's an oxymoron.

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Could we pretend its a type of capacitor invented by, say, the great Zaranite engineer Dr. Flux? Curse intention; if it makes more sense that way...

At least for the "sonic driver" or screwdriver, there's some legitimate scientific basis for the idea. So it can kind of work as a credible term for a device in a different fictional universe than the one where it originated.

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Yeah, in the scene in question Quinn is using the sonic screwdriver to disconnect a piece of equipment from its power source, and the way I made it work for me was to ponder that he might be using directed sound waves to manipulate some sort of release mechanism inside the device's enclosure to avoid having to open and risk damaging it. Since it was a clandestine operation it sort of made sense to use less invasive tools to avoid tripping alarms or leaving behind toolmarks, or at least enough sense to resume reading .

Just finished Tim Powers' Declare. Basically a Cold War spy tale with a supernatural foundation. I picked it up solely based on some positive mentions, and I really enjoyed it. I'm planning to eventually try The Anubis Gates by him, as well.

Finished up Diane Carey's Star Trek: Challenger: Chainmail, book two of the Gateways series. Here's my review. Surprisingly enjoyable! It's kind of too bad there wasn't really the audience for another original Trek lit series, I kind of enjoy the dynamic of the Challenger crew.

Finished up Diane Carey's Star Trek: Challenger: Chainmail, book two of the Gateways series. Here's my review. Surprisingly enjoyable! It's kind of too bad there wasn't really the audience for another original Trek lit series, I kind of enjoy the dynamic of the Challenger crew.

Now I'm reading The Rings of Time by Greg Cox.

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Correct me if Im wrong but I believe the Star Trek New Earth series was all about introducing and setting up the crew of the Challenger.

Correct me if Im wrong but I believe the Star Trek New Earth series was all about introducing and setting up the crew of the Challenger.

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Well, not exactly, since the Challenger and its crew were only introduced in the final book. You could say that it was about telling a 6-part TOS story that also served to lay the foundations for the potential Challenger series. But of course they had no way of knowing in advance whether there would be reader interest in such a series, so New Earth still had to work as a self-contained story of its own, with the final book serving as a "backdoor pilot" for a Challenger series.

Correct me if Im wrong but I believe the Star Trek New Earth series was all about introducing and setting up the crew of the Challenger.

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Well, not exactly, since the Challenger and its crew were only introduced in the final book. You could say that it was about telling a 6-part TOS story that also served to lay the foundations for the potential Challenger series. But of course they had no way of knowing in advance whether there would be reader interest in such a series, so New Earth still had to work as a self-contained story of its own, with the final book serving as a "backdoor pilot" for a Challenger series.